


Anglophile

by TajaReyul



Category: DCU - Comicverse
Genre: F/M, Gen, Gen Work, Het, One Shot, exchange fic
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-03-29
Updated: 2013-03-29
Packaged: 2017-12-06 22:11:24
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 745
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/740707
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TajaReyul/pseuds/TajaReyul
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>London wasn't like Star City.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Anglophile

**Author's Note:**

> Written for the heroines_fest exchange on LJ as a gift for melissagrey. The prompt was 'Breaking up with Dodger was easy. Going home was hard.' Canon for this is now outdated. Ms. Watson's appearance in this fic was, at the time, comics canon. She is used fictitiously here and this version of her is not meant to be an accurate representation of the real actress in any way.

Once she'd learned her way around London—enough to know where the hotspots of criminal activity were, and well enough to make her way around by the rooftops--Speedy worked out a nightly patrol route that began with a sweep of the theater district. Stealing was a crime in any country, pickpockets were easy game and you never knew who you might see ducking out a side entrance after the show. Sometimes you even saw your boyfriend making out with an actress between the theater door and her limo.

_Wanker._

If she were totally honest, it stung a little to see him trying to suck on someone else's tonsils--especially with his supposed aversion to even the tiniest bit of tongue. Oh, it wasn't like she'd been expecting a happily ever after. She'd had no illusions going into this relationship or whatever you wanted to call it. She had expected a little bit more than a self-involved, pompous jerkwad taking potshots at her from morning to night. (That was, when he wasn't spending his time in the pub and ranting about his soccer—excuse me-- _football_ team.) The fact that she wouldn't work with him on his jobs was a favorite subject. His comments on that recently started leading into jabs about her past. In his mind, once you'd taken money for sex, you shouldn't have a problem doing other things of questionable legality for money.

Oh sure, he was all charm and dash at first. He'd taken her around to all the tourist spots as well as a few interesting places that were off the beaten path. They'd had a few adventures together. There was the time they'd foiled the assassination attempt on the prince (one of the young, cute ones), and the afternoon they'd spent in Sherwood Forest. But at the end of the day, all the self-described liar and thief had going for him was the accent—and that was nothing special in London.

Breaking up with him was going to be easy. Going home, that was the hard part. She'd fallen completely in love with London even as Dodger's “charm” had worn thin. She wasn't sure exactly when it had happened. Somewhere between wandering around the Tower and her trip on the London Eye, maybe—or perhaps when she'd helped The Knight and Squire break a smuggling case. She'd hung out with Beryl after the mop up, dishing on various heroes and villains they both knew. Dodger hadn't been thrilled with that, either. Apparently he'd had more than one run-in with Britain's answer to Batman and Robin.

His attitude couldn't dampen Speedy's enthusiasm for London, though. She loved the fact that there were buildings in this city older than her country. It meant that she couldn't use a jumpline arrow without gouging a chunk out of some historically significant real estate, but there were plenty of streets that weren't any wider than a sidewalk and the blocks of row houses made above-the-street travel easy. There was so much history seething in every alley and corner. It gave her a feeling of continuity, of being a part of something enduring. That filled a need she hadn't until that moment been able to fully articulate.

Coping with her HIV was always a work in progress. She couldn't ever just forget about it, the fact that she probably wouldn't make it to old age. Part of why she picked up the bow was to make some sort of contribution that would last after she was gone. Depending on what part of the city she was in, she could picture herself in the Middle Ages, Victorian times, or the sixties. Walking across the Millennium Bridge or standing in the shadow of “The Gherkin”, she could even imagine herself in some future time. If she had her choice, she'd stay.

Unfortunately, that choice wasn't open to her. Even if she were to pretend she hadn't seen Dodger trying to work his hand up Emma Watson's blouse, Mia's tourist visa was due to expire soon. It wouldn't matter to Immigration that she'd saved the whole Royal Family if she stayed past her exit date. She'd have to go home, but she'd never be able to go back to her same old routine. Changes would definitely be made. Dodger may have turned out to be a complete ass, but if not for him, she wouldn't have had this experience.

She'd only mess with his head a little bit.


End file.
